Year 6 English: Figurative language in a poem
Part of the Year 6 English reading poetry and non-fiction, and comparing texts chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Figurative language in a poem
Figurative language is language that goes beyond the literal meaning. A metaphor says one thing is another. A simile compares with like or as. Personification gives human actions to things. Alliteration repeats the same sound at the start of words close together.
Harvest Moon
The field lies silver, wide and still,
a quiet sea of ripened wheat,
and every stalk bends low to listen
to the owl's slow and patient call.
The farmer's cottage, dark and small,
keeps one lamp burning at its door,
as if the night could not be trusted
to bring the tired fields home.
By dawn the sun will climb the hill
and paint the stubble gold once more,
and the wheat, which whispered all night long,
will rest until the harvest comes.
Key ideas
- A metaphor says one thing is another.
- Personification gives human actions or feelings to something that is not human.
- Alliteration repeats a sound, and can make a line feel smooth or sharp.
Method. Look for a comparison that does not use like or as.
- Find the comparison. The wheat is called a sea, with no like or as.a quiet sea
- Name the device. A comparison without like or as is a metaphor.metaphor
- Explain the effect. The reader pictures the wheat moving like waves, calm and wide.calm and wide
- Write the answer. metaphor
Check. The metaphor makes the wheat seem like the sea. ✓
Method. Look for a human action given to a thing.
- Find the action. Stalks cannot listen, but the poem says they do.listen
- Name the device. Giving a plant a human action is personification.personification
- Explain the effect. The reader feels the field is quietly alert to the owl.quietly alert
- Write the answer. personification
Check. The stalks are given a human action. ✓
Method. Look for the same sound at the start of words close together.
- Find the repeated sound. Slow and sound begin with the same letter.slow, sound
- Name the device. Repeating the same sound at the start of words is alliteration.alliteration
- Explain the effect. The sound makes the line calm and slow, like the owl.calm and slow
- Write the answer. alliteration
Check. The repeated sound is alliteration. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a metaphor does not use like or as. A simile does. Check whether the comparison has like or as before you name it.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to read the first stanza aloud, and to point to one metaphor, one personification and one alliteration.
Exercise 11A Practice: figurative language in a poem
Method. Check whether the comparison uses like or as.
- Find the comparison. The field is said to be silver, with no like or as.silver
- Name the device. A comparison without like or as is a metaphor.metaphor
- Write the answer. metaphor
Check. The comparison has no like or as. ✓
Method. Name the device, then explain what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the words. The poem says: a quiet sea of ripened wheat.a quiet sea of ripened wheat
- Explain the effect. The reader pictures the wheat moving gently and widely, like waves on the sea.the wheat seems wide and calm, like the sea
- Write the answer. the wheat seems wide and calm, like the sea
Check. The effect is explained. ✓
Watch out. Name the device first, such as simile, metaphor, personification or alliteration.
Method. Look for the comparison to a sea.
- Find the line. The line compares the field of wheat to a sea.sea
- Copy the line. The line is a quiet sea of ripened wheat.a quiet sea of ripened wheat
- Write the answer. a quiet sea of ripened wheat
Check. The line is in the first stanza. ✓
Method. Look for a human action given to the wheat.
- Find the action. Whispering is a human action.whispered
- Name the device. The wheat is given a human action, so it is personification.whispered
- Write the answer. whispered
Check. Whispered is personification. ✓
Method. Name the device, then explain what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the words. The poem says: and the wheat, which whispered all night long.and the wheat, which whispered all night long
- Explain the effect. The repeated w sound in wheat, which and whispered creates a soft, quiet effect.alliteration
- Write the answer. alliteration
Check. The effect is explained. ✓
Watch out. Name the device first, such as simile, metaphor, personification or alliteration.
Method. Name the device, then explain what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the words. The poem says: as if the night could not be trusted.as if the night could not be trusted
- Explain the effect. The comparison makes the reader feel the night is uneasy, so the farmer keeps a lamp burning.It makes the night seem uncertain, as if it could not be relied on
- Write the answer. It makes the night seem uncertain, as if it could not be relied on
Check. The effect is explained. ✓
Watch out. Name the device first, such as simile, metaphor, personification or alliteration.
Method. Look for a human word used about a thing or an animal.
- Find the human word. Patient is a human quality, used about the call.patient
- Name the words. The phrase patient call gives the owl a human quality.patient call
- Write the answer. patient call
Check. Patient is a human quality. ✓
Method. Name the device, then explain what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the words. The poem says: keeps one lamp burning at its door.keeps one lamp burning at its door
- Explain the effect. The lamp is a symbol of care, and it shows a light remains in the dark.It shows that a light remains, a sign of care and hope in the dark
- Write the answer. It shows that a light remains, a sign of care and hope in the dark
Check. The effect is explained. ✓
Watch out. Name the device first, such as simile, metaphor, personification or alliteration.
Method. Choose a line, name the device, then explain the effect.
- Choose the line. The line the owl's slow and patient call is chosen.the owl's slow and patient call
- Explain the effect. The repeated sound makes the call sound calm and slow.calm and slow
- Write the answer. The owl's slow and patient call uses alliteration, and it makes the call sound calm.
Check. The device and its effect are named. ✓
Method. Say one thing is another thing.
- Choose the subject. The night sky is the subject.The night sky
- Make the comparison. The sky is said to be a blanket, with no like or as.a velvet blanket
- Write the answer. The night sky is a velvet blanket covering the town.
Check. The comparison has no like or as. ✓
Method. Think about what the devices add together.
- Think about the picture. Devices create images the reader can see.images
- Think about the feeling. They make the reader feel calm.calm
- Write the answer. They create a vivid picture and make the reader feel the calm of the harvest night.
Check. The devices build a picture and a feeling. ✓